Cloth bolt handling device



Dec. 22, 1964 s. MEYER CLOTH BOLT HANDLING DEVICE 2 She ecs-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 27, 1961 INVENTOR Sidney Meyer ATTORNEY 6 Dec. 22, 1964 s. MEYER CLOTH BOLT HANDLING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 27, 1961 INVENTOR Sidney Meyer BY Q I ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,162,390 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 3,162,390 CLOTH BOLT HANDLING DEVICE Sidney Meyer, Elizabeth, N.J., assignor to A. S. Epple, Inc., Rumson, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 85,283 2 Claims. (Cl. 242--55.54)

This invention relates to a device for holding bolts of cloth or like wound web rolls as for display and dispensing and is particularly concerned with such a device that is adaptable foruse on any support such as a counter or table top.

Cloth such as drapery material and furniture coverings is usually available wound in generally oblong hollow bolts of a more or less standard width, as a yard or a meter, and these bolts are awkward as well as sometimes heavy to handle since they may weigh from fifty to one hundred pounds. Also some of these materials are delicate and expensive and require careful handling. The present invention provides a device which may be placed on any support, where it maintains itself, and it provides an upright portion over which the bolt is slipped endwise to be supported for turning about a generally vertical axis as the web is unwound for display to a customer or for measuring and cutting off a desired length for use.

The endwise support of bolts of material has been suggested before, but the present invention provides a particularly novel and useful construction that has a special base facilitating its use, with no projections or snags to damage the material, and being light enough and of such size as to be readily portable.

It is therefore the major object of my invention to provide a device of novel construction for operatively mounting a Wound web material such as a bolt of cloth for ready display and dispensing of the web material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel device for supporting a bolt of cloth or the like in endwise upright condition for free rotation to smoothly unroll the material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel device for holding a bolt of cloth or the like upright endwise for free unrolling embodying a base, adequately securable to a table top as by suction cups, and a platform swiveled on said base about a vertical axis and having an upright smooth arbor to receive the cloth bolt. The arbor may be demountably received in end sockets for removal during packing or storage.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide a novel platform bearing support and cooperating base structure in a device for holding cloth bolts upright on a table or counter.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the annexed claims and the appended drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an illustrative diagrammatic view showing a bolt of cloth being placed on the device of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is another illustrative view showing use of the device supporting a cloth bolt as a length is being unrolled for measuring;

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are respectively top, side and bottom views respectively of the device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section on line 6-6 of FIGURE 3 showing the suction cup attachment to the base; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary section on line 7-7 of FIGURE 3 showing the platform support on the base.

The device of the invention is of relatively simple construction and consists essentially of a base 11, a horizontal platform 12 and an upright arbor 13 rigid with the platform.

The arbor 13 is preferably a single length of smooth uniform diameter surfaced metal tubing bent at its middle to provide a rounded upper end 14 from which depend diverging legs 15 of the same length. In elevation the arbor is generally inverted V-shaped.

The platform 12 is generally a horizontal disc having on its upper surface a surface 16 of such characteristics that when the cloth bolt is upright thereon as in FIG- URE 2 it will not snag or damage the cloth edges during unrolling. This platform may be of stiff fibreboard, and the top surface 16 may be smooth or cloth covered, as desired.

Two apertures 17 are provided on platform 12, adapted to receive the lower ends of arbor legs 15. As illustrated the legs 15 have annular enlarged fixtures 18 thereon and below these fixtures they both extend through apertures 1'7 to terminate in threaded ends carrying nuts 19 below the platform. When nuts 19 are tight, arbor 13 is rigid with platform 12. Arbor 13 is therefore easily demountable for packing or storage by removing nuts 19. Alternatively the lower ends of arbor legs 15 may fit tightly into friction sockets on platform 12.

In any event, during use the arbor 13 stands rigidly upright at right angles to horizontal platform surface 16, and it may be quickly demounted.

The platform 12, which is preferably a stiff thick sheet of fibreboard in disc form, is mounted for free turning about the vertical axis A of FIGURE 4.

As shown in FIGURE 5 the base 11 may be an annular stiff sheet metal plate having a series of suction cups 20 equally distributed circumferentially on its bottom. Four are shown. When the device is placed on a flat counter or table top as in FIGURE 1 and merely pushed down, as by applying pressure onto the end 14 of the arbor, the base will be immediately gripped tightly to the top sufficiently at least to prevent sliding or other movement as the bolt is being unrolled as in FIGURE 2.

The suction cups 20 may have any suitable fixed mounting on base 11, such as screws 21, and to remove the device from the table top it is necessary only to pull upwardly on arbor 13.

Referring now to FIGURE 7 which shows the special construction by which platform 12 is swiveled about the vertical axis, base 11 comprises a flat inner horizontal annulus 22 formed about its outer peripheral edge with an upwardly and inwardly curved continuous rim 23, and

just inwardly of rim 23 with a continuous annular groove 24 which is the lower race of a series of ball bearings 25. Groove 24 is formed by suitable stamping of the metal of plate 11 at annular formations 26 and 27.

With further reference to FIGURE 7, a second annular sheet metal plate 28 is provided between platform 12 and the base 11, platform 12 being secured to plate 28 as by screws 29.

About its outer periphery plate 28 has a suitably formed continuous rim 31 extending into lip 23 in rotative sliding engagement therewith, and inwardly of rim 31 there is formed in plate 28, as by stamping formations 32 and 33, a continuous annular groove 34 which is the upper race for balls 25 in the assembly.

Thus, when the parts are secured as illustrated, the platform 12, arbor 13 and plate 28 turn freely as a unit, being supported by bearing balls 25 on base plate 11, and the plates 11 and 28 are held together in assembly by the interfit of rims 23 and 31. The outer edge of platform extends at least over the interfitted rims so that no cloth edges accidentally enter the joint between the rims.

The device is relatively inexpensive to fabricate, since plates 11 and 28 may be stamped from sheet metal and v superposed with grooves 24 and 34 in vertical alignment, and then the rim 23 may be spun over to enclosingly interfit with rim 31. The platform 12 is easily removed.

from plate 28 should itssurface16 become marred, and

areplacementjsubstitutedn a In use the device receive'sia nd dispensescloth from an upend'edi'b'olt as shown in FIGURES l and" 2; andthe" diificulties of holding the bolt and at the same time'unrolling itare avoided. y 1 Theinvention maybe embodied in other specific forms without departing from'the spirit or essential characteristiesmthereof'; The present embodimentsare-therefore to be considered in all respects as'illustrativ'e and not" restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather-than=- by the foregoing description; and all changeswh-ich come-vvithin the meaning and range of equivalencyof the" claims are therefore-'intended to be embraced therein;

" What is-claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters'Patentisr I 1 1. In a device for displaymounting of a bolt of cloth or the like, a base member comprising a relatively'stift horizontal platehaving readily releasable means on' "its' bottom for anchoringsai'd' device againstsliding on 21' Support such as a fiat counter or; table top,- a platform mem-" ber comprising a substantially imperforat'e memberparal lel to-said base member mounted forfree" rotation; on

saidbase member, said mounting" comprising cooperatin'g means on' said members adjacent their outer peri'pheri'es providing means mounting ball bearings between them to enable stabilized free rotation of-the platform on said base, peripheral skirt means on atleast one of said members preventing cloth from entering the,beari'ngs, an arbor mounted in vertical' upstandingrelation upon said platform and comprising an, inverted generally V-shaped member havingan uppermost smoothly rounded top and rigid smooth legs, extending 'from said top through diametrically spaced' openings in said. platform, said base: being apertured radially inwardly of said bearings, and fastener, means securingthe1ower ends oi said legs to said platform accessible through the apertured portion 'of said base.-

, 2; In the device definedin claim 1, said anchoring means on the bottom 'of'the base being suction cup means for'gripping saidtop. a

References Cited-tin the fil'e of this patenn UNITED STATES PATENTS Rosenthal i..... June 1-7, 1,300,655 Rubenstein Apr. 15, 1919'- 11=,674,285 Harvey June 19, 1928 1,701,046- ,Kraus' ;Feb-. 5, 1929' 1,888,426 Duby Now 22, 1932 '2',@96,168- Ferber. Oct. 19, 1937 2,425,525, Franz. Aug .,12, 1947 2,491,585 Samm'ons Dec. 20, 1.949 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR DISPLAY MOUNTING OF A BOLT OF CLOTH OR THE LIKE, A BASE MEMBER COMPRISING A RELATIVELY STIFF HORIZONTAL PLATE HAVING READILY RELEASABLE MEANS ON ITS BOTTOM FOR ANCHORING SAID DEVICE AGAINST SLIDING ON A SUPPORT SUCH AS A FLAT COUNTER OR TABLE TOP, A PLATFORM MEMBER COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERFORATE MEMBER PARALLEL TO SAID BASE MEMBER MOUNTED FOR FREE ROTATION ON SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID MOUNTING COMPRISING COOPERATING MEANS ON SAID MEMBERS ADJACENT THEIR OUTER PERIPHERIES PROVIDING MEANS MOUNTING BALL BEARINGS BETWEEN THEM TO ENABLE STABILIZED FREE ROTATION OF THE PLATFORM ON SAID BASE, PERIPHERAL SKIRT MEANS ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID MEMBERS PREVENTING CLOTH FROM ENTERING THE BEARINGS, AN ARBOR MOUNTED IN VERTICAL UPSTANDING RELATION UPON SAID PLATFORM AND COMPRISING AN INVERTED GENERALLY V-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING AN UPPERMOST SMOOTHLY ROUNDED TOP AND RIGID SMOOTH LEGS EXTENDING FROM SAID TOP THROUGH DIAMETRICALLY SPACED OPENINGS IN SAID PLATFORM, SAID BASE BEING APERTURED RADIALLY INWARDLY OF SAID BEARINGS, AND FASTENER MEANS SECURING THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID LEGS TO SAID PLATFORM ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THE APERTURED PORTION OF SAID BASE. 